Reaffirming Claims
by DannyPhanto fan
Summary: A Sequel/companion story to 'Staking Claims'.
1. Chapter 1

**Reaffirming Claims**

**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own Ben 10 and/or Ben 10: Alien Force and/or any and/or all concepts and/or characters. They are copyrighted to Man of Action and Cartoon Network Studios. I am a mere Fanfiction author. With far too much time on her hands and no social life.**_

**Rated: **_**T**_

**Part One: Telling Mom**

She herded her mother into her room, shut and locked the door and window, and then magically soundproofed the room.

"Gwen," Jen Tennyson started nervously, "you're scaring me…"

"Sorry Mom, but Dad would kill him…" she smiled abashedly, moving aside her unusually high collar to reveal that the spot over her pulse line was a mass of bruises and bites, "I told you I'd tell you…"

Jen sat down, on the bed, faintly, "When?"

"Yesterday." Gwen took something out of her pocket and handed it to the older redhead, "Not what you think Mom!" she rushed to assure her mother when she saw the panic, "I'm still on birth control. It's just that the human variety isn't potent enough to work with my alien body…I went to Cooper's a few weeks back 'cause I had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right and he couldn't find any trace of it in my system…lucky huh?"

Jen nodded, a bit stunned.

But before she could say anything an alarm began going off, Gwen pulled out her badge to see an APB for a serial killer, a car skidded to a stop outside the house, honking impatiently and Gwen ran out without a word more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two: R/R**

"What the hell—?"

"Hi Kev," she spoke calmly, enjoying her mud soak. Her eyes were closed and covered with cucumber slices.

"What're you doing?"

"My day off." Indeed it was her off day and so she had gotten permission from her parents to fill the bath tub with imported mud and give herself a spa day. Aliens and her boyfriend be damned, she was going to relax.

"So you wanted that dirt so you could play in the mud?"

"You have such a dirty mind…" her joints popped as she stretched out in ecstasy.

"So…what can I do to get you out of that tub…?"

"Not today Kev," she shut him down quickly, "if you're having a problem I know you can take care of it yourself; my parents aren't home and you can use my bedroom if you want but don't bug me."

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

"You relax by working on that car of yours; I relax by spa days…"

"Then why aren't you at a spa?"

"Can't risk it; if an alien comes after me and destroys my house that's a lot easier to explain than a whole spa going…"

He sat on the closed toilet and she could hear that he was thinking, planning something.

But it was her day off; he could have been planning the hostile takeover of the galaxy itself and she couldn't care less.

A Month Later

"Where're you taking me?" she asked. Blindfolded, he led her into an underground something.

"Now you're becoming annoying," he told her, "I told you it was a surprise."

"It's not my birthday…not Christmas…you aren't in trouble with me…"

"Can't I do anything outta the kindness of my heart?"

"…"

"For you?"

"Yeah, okay, you can, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, besides we're here."

She stamped her foot and heard the echo of tiling before the scent of jasmine and lavender hit her nose and the sound of running water hit her ears.

"Kev, where're we?"

"Your own personal spa," he removed the blindfold to allow her to see, just as he said, her own personal spa.

"I called in a few favors," he explained, "and it's all completely hidden so no battles here. It all runs on nuclear fusion and Coop's built robot attendants for you and a massager programmed with all possible techniques and varieties. Sludge from a newly formed planet too."

The tub was actually a great pool, "It cleans itself in seconds so if you wanna go from mud to water all you have to do is climb out an' hit a couple buttons."

"How many favors did you call in?" she breathed, there was a small _**waterfall**_ going into the pool. There were tropical plants planted, including grass beneath their feet, and jungle sounds were playing. He apparently not created a mere spa for her but a jungle oasis.

"Enough. Like it?"

She spun on him, looking at him as if he had gone mad, "Like it? I love it. This is so…wow…"

He smirked in his usual self satisfied way before giving her a tour. Her days off would never be the same again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three: Securing Insecurities**

As he helped her from the car, her arms were full with books, he noticed several guys staring at her and licking their lips. His back stiffened; she might get lured away, they were all much better for her than him.

She noticed his rigidity and frowned before smiling and putting her books into her seat. She then stood on her toes to be able to kiss him fervently, whispering, "Who do I belong to?" against his lips.

"Me." He replied, slowly relaxing.

"Who do I love?"

"Me." His muscles loosened. She wouldn't leave him; he knew that but the fear was quite strong.

"So, how do we conquer this insecurity of yours?" she asked, pulling back and looking up at him while biting her lip.

"Marry me?"

It was a quiet, tentative request but it still made her look up at him in shock.

He saw her reaction and the fear, dread, came barreling back a hundredfold and hit him like a train would hit a toddler. Suffice to say it hurt. But he couldn't protest; he had known he wasn't good enough for her to date, let alone wed. He had just driven her off.

"Are you joking around or do you mean it, for real?" she asked suddenly, softly. It startled him. Dry mouthed, closed throated, he nodded numbly.

"Are you sure? Absolutely sure?" she pressed and again he nodded.

"Okay then."

"What?!" he must've heard her wrong. He had to have heard wrong.

"I'm saying yes…" her eyes narrowed in their routine way before understanding struck and she softened, whisperingly stating, "You thought I'd say no…" it was not a question but the way he averted his eyes shamefully gave an affirmative answer.

He knew he should have more trust in her but he also knew that he really wasn't good enough for her.

But elation flooded through his form, making him weak and unstable as if he had just got a shot or two of adrenaline. She had agreed, she had said yes. Unbelievable; he had to be dreaming.

She saw the disbelief and headed it off, telling him with another soft smile, "You're awake, not daydreaming either."

Suddenly he smiled, swooping down to kiss her once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four: Blacksmith **

The hooded figure wove through the dim, dirty, and crowded criminal watering hole with an air of extreme familiarity and slipped through a discreet door behind the bar.

"Farrar," the figure rasped at the old creature, "I got a job for you."

Farrar turned, displaying a scarred and white left eye but a red irised right, "And who dare order me around?"

The figure pulled its hood back and then dropped a cloth bundle onto the counter.

"_**Eleven**_." Farrar hissed.

Kevin shook his head, "It's just Levin now; Eleven's long gone. I have a favor, a big one."

"You switched sides."

"And you play both. But either way you're the best jeweler for five galaxies and she deserves the best." He unwrapped the bundle to reveal a chunk of crystal about the size of his fist.

Farrar inhaled sharply and put his magnifying uniocular in and reached for the chunk to examine it but his hand was nearly stabbed as it crept forward.

"Nuh uh," his possible client spoke silkily, holding the dagger aloft menacingly, "not yet. I need you to make me three rings; an engagement ring and two wedding bands from this chunk. They have to be your best work. If I am satisfied with the products you get to keep whatever is left of the chunk and if you try to cheat me I will kill you. I am offering to pay you a million in earth, American, currency for them. Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. You have three days."

"Yes sir."

"No one is to know I was here or I'm paying you for your services," he pulled a piece circularly bent iron and tossed it to the jeweler, "This's her size. If those rings aren't perfect I will be very upset."

Farrar caught it, gulping as he nodded.

Kevin put the hood back up, saying ominously, "I will be in contact." before leaving just as fluidly as he came in.

"I don't care what he says," Farrar muttered, getting ready to begin, "he's still creepy as hell!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Five: "Did You Take Your Meds This Morning?"**

It was with a strange sense of déjà vu that Pitney found himself slammed into a row of lockers. He was quite sure that he had just angered a demon if not Satan himself. He was lifted off his feet by a gut-punch that knocked the air from his lungs all the while probably bruising them.

"_**She**_. _**Is**_. _**Off**_. _**Limits**_." His punisher growled ferally, "_**She**_. _**Is**_. _**MINE**_."

"_**KEVIN**_!" the reason for the beating came running up, "Let him go!"

"Not this time. He needs the lesson beaten into him—"

She knocked the victim unconscious and separated him from his attacker, saying, "Kevin this isn't you…"

"Yeah it—"

"No, it isn't. That was _**Eleven**_, not Levin," he looked down at her, fear clear in his eyes. She turned from him and ran a glowing hand over Pitney, muttering, "Too much damage…" she said a incantation and a portal opened with a rush, two Plumber medics came out with a stretcher, loaded the human boy onto it, got the situation from Gwen and then returned through the portal which closed with a popping sound.

She turned back to him asking quietly, "What happened?"

"I—I don't know; we were just talking and he brought you up and I—I lost it…"

"Did you take your meds this morning?"

"I'm not stupid…"

"Did you take your meds this morning?"

"Yes."

She frowned, maybe his dosage needed to be adjusted but she had to make sure, "Did you eat anything new?"

"What'd'ya mean?"

"Stuff you've never ever eaten before."

"No."

"Ate anything with alcohol as an ingredient, even if it was just a little bit?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I read the contents like I'm supposed too."

"Drank anything new or with alcohol?"

"No."

"Take anything else, even a cough drop?"

"No."

She saw the fear and self-loathing in his eyes and reached up to touch his face soothingly but he block her, choking out, "Don't touch me."

Her hand dropped, "What's wrong?"

"I nearly killed that kid; the meds aren't working; I could hurt you."

"Kev, your meds just need to be adjusted. Bodies become too used to drugs and doses taken over and over again and so the chemicals stop affecting the person," she explained gently, "it's the same reason that druggies have to up the ante of what they use. They just can't get high on the previous amounts. And some meds just don't work properly for some people…"

"And what happens when I hit the maximum dose?" he hissed, "I'll become violent again. I'll hurt you."

"We'll get you on a different medication for awhile; some people have to spend a lot of time switching between medications to keep them working. And with enough counseling and anger management training maybe you'll be able to get off them altogether but you have to be patient and willing to work with them; these medications don't control everything on their own you know."

She closed her eyes, muttering a few Latin words and she erased the cameras that had recorded the attack. The Plumber medics would wipe Pitney's mind of the incident and craft false memories to fill in the blanks. She then took him by the hand, ignoring his protests, and tugged him out to the car and then drove him to Cooper's.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part Six: Side Effects**

Over the next few days they had tried different medications with each wreaking havoc on the young man in their own way. They had given him far too much, ending up with him in a short coma as they had to completely flush his system of the drug, and far too little, Kevin Eleven really came back and went on a small rampage though strangely he still made sure that he didn't hurt his beloved redhead but everything and everyone else was fair game and so they had to knock him out and flush his system once more so they could start over. The third attempted dosage had him bent over a bucket. The fourth made him both high and hyper, which was rather funny to watch and thankfully the ensuing hilarity was recorded on the security cameras by complete accident. The fifth made him very sleepy, to the point that he couldn't keep his eyes open for more than a second or two and it was this dosage and it's aftermath that scared Gwen more than even Eleven did. Another flushing out, a large lunch, and a breather before they tried for a sixth time. This time made his stomach upset again but this time it came out the backdoor. It was at this point that they decided to throw in the towel for the day and let him go off his meds as to see just how bad he would become without them.

Needless to say it was a rough night. He didn't lay a finger on her and seemed able to keep his temper somewhat in check when dealing with her but he still wasn't the man she knew. It obviously took a great deal of effort for him not to verbally abuse her as Eleven was wont to do but she was very surprised that he would make the effort at all.

For his part, Eleven didn't quite understand why, the thought of him hurting her or her being hurt by someone else was unbearable and some part of him made him try to keep himself from lashing out with his tongue. It was hard, against his very nature in fact, but he was successful for the most part. She intrigued him. She did not cower or give in to his tempers but made him see reason with a soft and gentle voice and very kind words.

She didn't ward off his touch either, actually she seemed to be eager for it, but he had to work overtime in keeping his strength under control. She was so small compared to him; he had no doubt that he could break her easily. And he couldn't stand the thought of that. Bruising and biting her was acceptable, he would make sure not to hit anything vital or particularly painful, but not breaking or snapping of bones and tendons.

Perhaps that was her plan, to teach the sociopath side of him to be gentle and cautious about another person.

Though they were all very glad when, the next day, they found the right medication and the right dose.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part Seven: Good News, Bad News, Worse News**

"I got good news and bad news," Cooper started out, "Good news is that I figured out why the meds aren't working right…"

"That's great!" Gwen said with much relief but Kevin felt there was more to be said.

"That was the good news; the bad news is that his diagnosis was wrong, he isn't bipolar with sociopathic tendencies. He's spilt personality. Now normally this wouldn't be much of a problem, we have meds for that, but because of his alien heritage both personas seemed to have developed lives of their own. What could be called the 'Evil Side' or Eleven's side was the one in control when you all first met. He's sociopathic and destructive and… why am I telling you guys, you've dealt with him. The 'Good Side' or Levin's side, the one in control now, is a _**much**_ tamer version of Eleven. Still selfish and greedy, wary and paranoid about other people and can be destructive if he's not careful but he can also be made to see reason more often than not and does have a heart under that coarse exterior…" Cooper took a breath before saying, "And it gets worse, or better depending on the situation at hand. I was looking through the footage of his rampage and heard, most probably, a very censored report from Gwen about the night he was off the meds completely and it seems to me that Gwen is the one thing both sides agree on. She's basically the tether for Levin to keep an easier hold on his control of the body. Although Eleven does seem to be a lot tamer when dealing with her, if not still rather wild by civilized standards…"

"How does that make things worse?" Ben asked; it sounded perfect, as long as Gwen was around Eleven probably wouldn't gain too much control unless…oh no…

"It makes things worse because if Gwen dies, or is else-wise unreachable, by him, for some reason, Eleven will regain control of things and…well you remember what he did last time only this time he has a car packed to the brim weapons, access to a Mechamorph symbiote, and access to Plumber weapon vaults… basically the only things worse would be Gwen going nuclear for some reason, the Omnitrix self-destructing for some reason, or Ben going batshit insane because Julie died…"

"Whoa." Ben let out an exhale.

Gwen blinked in shock.

Kevin had his head in his hands. He was a monster.

"Kevin," Cooper said sharply, sternly, "This is manageable, the meds they have for humans will affect you somewhat because of your human blood but you're going to have to make a great effort each day and with the proper therapy it should get easier as time goes on…"

"Why should I even try?" he moaned despairingly, "I'm gonna mess up eventually…"

"You should try for me," a quiet voice told him and he looked up to see Gwen staring down at him, "I'm not giving up on you, you shouldn't give up on yourself…"

"I'll hu—"

"Don't you dare try that excuse," her eyes narrowed angrily, "Not even Eleven will hurt me."

"People," he modified his statement. His personalities may not hurt her but Eleven could and would hurt other people.

"I won't let you." She stated firmly before pulling a small thin chain from beneath her blouse to show a crystal ring, "For better or worse, in sickness and in health remember?"

"We're not married yet," he reminded her sullenly. He didn't deserve her. He was just some deluded loony, quite a few fries short of a Happy Meal. What he deserved was a nice tight white jacket and a nice soft room.

"Doesn't matter, as soon as you gave me this ring we made a pact and I'm not going to void it; are you?"

He had to think about that. On one hand it would be selfish to keep her with him, make her deal with his issues; on the other hand Cooper said that if he lost her in any way he'd go postal. Would he even be able to kill himself or would Eleven stop Levin from ending their misery?

When she saw him trying to decide she gave a soft and sad chuckle, unclasped the chain and put it, and the ring it supported, onto the table in front of him before standing up and leaving silently. She was not going to hold him to something against his will.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part Eight: Clearing the Air**

Things remained silent even after she had left; Ben and Cooper were waiting for Eleven to take hold and massacre them. But Kevin remained silent and still, smiling sadly at the ring. She had finally wised up.

"You—Aren't you going to go after her?" Ben asked nervously. He knew he had to tread carefully.

"Nope."

"You're not?!" Cooper cried out in shock.

"Nope."

"Why not?!"

"She's better off without me," he explained to his confounded friends simply, in a monotone.

"No she's not!" Ben leapt from his seat and slapped his comrade, hoping it would knock some sense into the man.

----

She walked down the sidewalk, shivering, with her arms across her chest as to conserve body heat; it was a crisply cold spring morning but she hadn't brought a jacket because the green GTO had been nice and warm.

Her steps were even and determined; she was not going to go to pieces over him. She had known this might happen. He wasn't the sort to be tied down to a wife or family. She could go to Anodine without too many regrets now. There was nothing left on Earth for her; her family would be fine without her, Ben could handle their usual Plumber work, and god only knew what Kevin would do but she had no doubt he would manage quite well on his own. He had before.

But it was none of her concern; apparently he didn't want her. So what if her heart hurt as if it was being torn in half, put through a wood chipper, and then into a blender. So what if she felt physically ill or if her soul felt like it was being ripped from her? She couldn't do anything about it; there was no painkiller able to take the sting from her or even just to dull it; there was no medication to calm her sick stomach. She would just have to deal with it; always and forever the symptoms would plague her.

And although it sounded melodramatic, clichéd and although she was merely on the verge of human adulthood she knew he had been the one; he was her soul-mate. So nobody would ever fully and absolutely replace him. This sucked. Badly.

She had heard the pounding of running combat boots coming up behind her so she simply moved aside to give whoever it was room to pass her. She sure wasn't expecting a broad hand to grab her by the shoulder and spin her around, bringing her face to face with Kevin.

Her face set into a stony, uninterested expression, except for the raised eyebrow, and spoke in a monotone, "You needed something?"

"Yeah," he nodded, sounding quite calm, "to talk."

"About what?" she bit out. He looked around. The street was empty and they were in the commercial side of the town so there were no eavesdroppers but he still pulled her, by the shoulder, into a dead end alley for more privacy, saying softly, "About why we can't be together…"

"Oh I already know why," she spat at him, "because you're a prideful paranoid coward who can't accept help from anyone unless you're actually dying and now you're giving up on your life rather than fight for it—"

"And how exactly I am supposed to fight for it?!" he demanded, getting angry because of her accusation, "You heard him, I'm a certified nutjob; a dan—"

"Humans deal with the same issues and they deal well enough to live nor—!"

"I'm not _**human**_!" he roared.

"You're three fourths human, you jerkass; look, I'm not stupid, I knew from the moment I saw you, back in New York, that you have some major baggage; I don't _**care**_—"

"It isn't right," he told her, having calmed slightly, "You shouldn't have to deal with my screwy head. Please, this is best for yo—"

"No, it really isn't." she argued, "It hurts—"

"You think this doesn't hurt me?!" he demanded, "I'm being ripped in half!" and that was the truth. He could feel Eleven fighting for control, he wasn't going to last much longer. The monster was going to be freed and nothing would be safe.

"Then don't push me away," she spoke softly now, looking him in the eyes, "Let me help; I don't care if you're crazy, we'll handle this together; we're unbeatable when together, nothing short of Vilgax himself can stop us. You know that so why are you trying push me away?"

"It isn't right." He repeated brokenly.

She cupped his face, "Nothing in your life has gone right has it?"

He shook his head.

"Then why are you destroying something good?"

"Because it'll blow up in my face anyways," he told her. She softened even more, her anger and hurt dissipating as understanding took its place. He was just trying to protect himself.

"We won't blow up Kev," she assured him gently yet firmly, "we're solid. And we'll always be solid."

She reached for his hand but when she found it she felt metal. Manually opening his fist, she found the chain and ring she had left behind.

"Why did you bring this?" she asked, still softly.

He shifted his weight apprehensively, "The chain and ring will get pretty good money on the market; I don't need the money so I wanted you to have them even if we…" he trailed off.

She fingered the jewelry, asking, "So are you gonna give us a shot?"

He nodded and she smiled, clasping the necklace back into its proper place.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Nine: Back to the Spring**

She hissed as she slid into the water; bloody and battered. Yesterday had been one hell of a day; sign the marriage papers (thus becoming Gwen Tennyson-Levin), redo the papers for her diploma (hyphenating her last name into her new last name), go through her monthly Plumber physical (including the vaccinations and the blood tests for every contagious disease in the galaxy) and then dealing with a whole horde of Forever Knights (without Ben's help as he was out of contact, pushing some child protection laws through the galactic house and senate).

The heated water stung the various cuts, scrapes and bruises her body bore witness to but it relaxed her tense and worn muscles.

"Doing okay?" a deep, warm, familiar voice asked and she rolled her eyes, sighing, "Yeah Kev, I'm good."

She heard him crouch to his heels behind her, rumbling, "Coop said bed rest; you're ribs are bruised, hairline fractured. This sure ain't your bed Sweet-cheeks."

"Spare me the lecture Mr. I-got-shot-and-I-can-still-fight."

"I learned to fight while hurt," he shrugged, "you show you're injured and you die."

"Well I'm fine," she assured but she groaned. His hands found neck and shoulders and he began to massage her.

"Not in the mood, Kev," she mumbled.

"I've a totally clean mind right now," he told her, continuing. He pulled her out and carefully laid her flat, to allow him to access everything that was sore.

"So you know how to give massages…" she mumbled in bliss, eyes closed.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Not from where I'm standing…"

"You know how to inflict pain, you know how to induce pleasure…master one, master the other."

"Makes sense," she murmured hazily, her eyelids drooping, "in a twisted sort of way…"

"Uh huh," he nodded, "Ready to go home? Take a painkiller and nap?"

"Fine…"

He smirked and went to his car to grab a blanket; he wrapped her in it and carried her back to the vehicle.

Home. It was safe and warm. Their place to hide and heal. Together.


End file.
